Why the US military is designing disposable drones

US military scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory have created a drone that can locate enemy submarines, detect tornadoes, and record conversations – all while being small enough to fit in your hand.

Named after the cicada – an insect that spends years underground before reappearing suddenly in great numbers to reproduce and then die – these drones are meant to work in swarms.

“The idea was why can’t we make UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) that have the same sort of profile,” Aaron Kahn a flight controls engineer at the Naval Research Laboratory, told AFP. “We will put so many out there, it will be impossible for the enemy to pick them all up.” READ MORE.